The Compass (15 page)

“And you, my friend will have some heartbreak to endure. You have come to love three very old men, and the truth is, we will all be gone long before you are just beginning your life, your career, before you have children of your own.”

“Don’t say that, Jacob.” Rudy’s eyes were glassy. He didn’t want to hear it, but he knew it was true.

“You have been a Goliath. And now you must fight the sadness and bitterness that may come when we are gone. You have heard our stories, Rudy, and you know what we had to overcome. I pray your trials are not as great. But you must move forward and live a full and productive life—and know that three old men thought you were something special.”

They sat quietly for a moment then Jacob cleared his throat.

“You know, being a teacher is a fine aspiration. Winston Churchill once said, ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’ As a teacher, you will have a tremendous life, and knowing you, you will give and give and give. That’s good.”

After a minute, Jacob in an effort to lighten things said, “See, Yoshito is not the only one who can quote things.” Together they laughed, and Rudy walked over and embraced Jacob.

“I love you, Jacob.

“I love you, too, Rudy. You’re a good boy,” and once again Jacob patted his cheek.

Chapter 20
 

It was a warm October day. Jacob would have liked it. After the funeral, back in the garden, where they had gathered along with his mother, Frederick handed him an envelope.

“Here, Rudy, Jacob left this for you.”

Surprised, Rudy walked farther into the garden to the compass where it all began and read the letter alone. It read:

My dearest Rudy,

If you are reading this, I have gone home to be with my Father in heaven. I will miss you and the others, but I hope you can be happy for me that after so many decades I am reunited with my family and am free from the shackles that bind us in our earthly life.

I want you to remember our talk in the garden many months ago and know that I will be watching as you progress through life. Remember that many wonderful things await you, and that sometimes it comes in the form of a summer job with three old men that you want nothing to do with.

Frederick and Yoshito and my attorney already know that I am leaving my house to your mother and you. I can’t think of anyone else I would rather see in that house and in that garden than the two of you. Your mother has worked hard all her life, and perhaps now with the sale of her house, she will have some money in the bank and not have to worry about a mortgage.

Further, I have left some money to Frederick and Yoshito for the upkeep of the garden. They are old men too, and perhaps they can help another Rudy on his journey.

They are aware that the bulk of my money, I leave to you. You would not think that an old man living in East LA in a rundown neighborhood would have money. But the neighborhood wasn’t always that way, and I stayed because of my brothers, for that is what I consider Frederick and Yoshito. I was a successful accountant, invested well, and I think there is enough money to pay for a few years of university education. I want you to have it. The attorneys have it set up in a trust and can help you navigate the legalities. I trust them, and they will do right by you.

I’ve told you before, but will say it again this final time: I am so proud of you and love you so much. As we part, I will speak the words my father said to me on the last day of his life: “You are a good boy and will be a good man. God is good. Remember that.”

Know that I am nearby watching, and one day far in the future, we will meet again in the real Paradise.

All my love, Jacob

As Rudy wept, he folded the letter and laid it against his heart. When he finally tried to put it in his pocket, he felt the now familiar leather bag with the compass that Yoshito had given him. He thought about how he would always find his way back to this place that would now be his home, thanks to Jacob. He also realized that each one of these men had been a compass for him throughout the past four years. Now, one was gone. Rudy wept again, and when he dried his eyes with the calloused hands that were now a badge of honor, he went to find the others. What he saw brought a bittersweet smile to his lips. There, gathered around the rosemary plant, were the people he cared about most. There was his mother, anxiously watching him approach, waiting to comfort him, her red and swollen eyes full of love; then Yoshito, bent over the rosemary plant, listening intently to its whispered conversation; and Frederick, singing out in a joyful voice along with other choral voices that Rudy now heard. In that moment, he heard Jacob’s voice telling him not to worry, that things have a way of working out, and he knew it to be true.